Agriculture: Injuries and Fatalities

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report of the Health and Safety Executive about the rise in deaths and injuries associated with agriculture.

Lord Freud: Agriculture remains by far the most dangerous of all the major industries in Great Britain. The incidence rate for fatal injuries to workers in 2009-10 was four times higher in agriculture than in construction. The toll of deaths from largely well known and preventable causes is unacceptable and is recognised as such by the industry.
	HSE will continue its risk-based approach to health and safety in agriculture, targeting those activities which present the highest risk of injury. In view of the nature of these businesses, which are often small or micro in size, HSE uses a range of approaches to engage with the industry. Work activity includes a "Make the Promise" communications campaign; an increased number and type of safety and health awareness days; training and education (through vocational qualifications); working with manufacturers and suppliers of farming equipment; and partnership work with farming organisations.

Armed Forces: Staff

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the numbers of (a) United Kingdom military personnel by service, and (b) attached civilian personnel; and what are the figures for the last four years.

Lord Astor of Hever: We have published this information as national statistics at the following link: http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=66&pubType=1.
	The UK Armed Forces quarterly manning report, under key outputs, gives the numbers of service personnel, and Civilian Personnel Statistics 01(CPS 01) gives the numbers of civilian personnel.
	We have reported personnel numbers as follows:
	
		
			 Year Royal Navy &Royal Marines (1) Army (1) Royal Air Force (1) Civilians (2) 
			 2007-08 38,860 106,170 45,370 97,690 
			 2008-09 38,570 105,090 43,390 89,500 
			 2009-10 38,340 106,460 43,570 86,620 
			 2010-11 38,730 108,870 44,050 85,590 
			 (figures as at 1 April each year) 
			 Notes:(1) The figures represent the total number of UK Regular Forces' personnel, including trained and untrained personnel and nursing services, but excluding Gurkhas, full-time reserve personnel and mobilised reservists(2) The figures represent the total number of full-time-equivalent civil servants employed by the Ministry of Defence, including permanent and casual staff, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, trading funds and locally engaged civilians. Civilians are employed by the department as a whole and are not attached to an individual service.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 28 June (WA 241-2), what is the usual interval between the ending of Section 4 support for persons granted leave to remain as a result of an appeal or change of circumstances and the beginning of normal benefits should the person not be able immediately to find work; and whether they will reduce the interval.

Lord Freud: An application for benefits can be made where a person or family on support is given permission to stay. From that point, they are no longer a person subject to immigration control. The support provided under Section 4 is taken into account as income and deducted from any weekly benefit entitlement.

Automotive Council

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had about appointments to the Automotive Council.

Baroness Wilcox: The membership of the Automotive Council was announced on 24 November 2009. There have been no recent discussions about new appointments to the council. However, there are opportunities for companies to contribute to the council's activities through participation in work streams of its supply chain and technology working groups. A wide range of individuals, companies and organisations are already supporting these activities and there is scope for others to become involved.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether small and medium-sized enterprises have increased the aggregate amount they hold on deposit within the banking system.

Lord Sassoon: The British Bankers' Association collects data on small business deposits held in the banking system. The change in deposits of small businesses is shown in the table below:
	
		
			  May-09 Jun-09 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr 10 
			 Deposits £m (change on previous month) 250 577 -12 -720 806 84 223 1,096 -1,957 -62 715 882 
		
	
	Further information is available at: http://www.bba. org.uk/bba/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=145&a=17836.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proposed European Union regulations will prohibit the payment of bonuses to employees of any United Kingdom bank in receipt of funding guarantees from HM Treasury or accessing non-standard central bank liquidity provision.

Lord Sassoon: The recently agreed capital requirements directive includes principles that apply to institutions that have received exceptional government interventions.
	The directive stipulates that such firms should limit variable remuneration if it is inconsistent with the maintenance of a sound capital base. Furthermore, bonuses to directors at these firms must be justified, taking into account the firm's overriding objectives to rebuild capital and provide for the full recovery of taxpayer support.

Banking: Private Equity

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Sassoon on 5 July (HL Deb, col 6) on private sector equities, whether they have considered the cases for (a) disallowing interest as a charge against taxable profits, and (b) introducing a deduction against taxable profits to reflect a notional charge against the cost of equity.

Lord Sassoon: The Government keep all aspects of the tax system under review.

Banking: UK Financial Investments Ltd

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have instructed UK Financial Investments Ltd since 11 May to advise the British banks in which it has an investment that cash bonuses should be no more than £2,000 per annum and that executive directors should receive no bonus.

Lord Sassoon: UKFI's framework agreement with HMT requires it to manage its investments on a commercial basis and not intervene in day-to-day management decisions of the investee companies. UKFI has been working with government investee banks as an active and engaged shareholder to ensure that incentives are much more strongly linked to long-term value creation.
	The Government are taking wider action to tackle unacceptable bank bonuses and have asked the Financial Services Authority, as part of its forthcoming review of its Remuneration Code to:
	consider imposing more stringent requirements on the deferral and award of variable pay;examine mechanisms for strengthening the link between performance and remuneration to ensure that incentives are aligned with the long-term performance of the firm; andconsider how to vary capital requirements to offset risk in remuneration practices.
	The Government will also consult on a remuneration disclosure scheme and, working with international partners, will explore the costs and benefits of a financial activities tax on profits and remuneration.

Banks

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on United Kingdom banks' relative profitability and competitiveness compared with banks incorporated in countries that have required lower bank capital of the intention in respect of bank capital expressed in the communiqué of the Toronto G20 meeting that "Phase in arrangements will reflect the different international starting points and circumstances".

Lord Sassoon: At the G20 summit in Toronto, leaders reiterated their commitment to increase significantly the quantity, quality and international consistency of capital, strengthen liquidity standards and introduce a leverage ratio. The agreement also highlighted the continuing resolve by the G20 to learn the lessons of the financial crisis and to implement an internationally consistent reform package. It was also agreed that G20 countries will phase in new standards over a timeframe that is consistent with a sustained recovery and limits market disruption. The G20 highlighted that initial variances in standards due to national starting points would narrow over time as countries converge to the new global standard.
	The quantitative impact study (QIS) conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in addition to work by other fora, including the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS), will consider in detail the impact of regulatory reform on the economy. This will inform the appropriate sequencing and calibration of reform in the UK and internationally.

Banks: Lending

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the main causes of the decline in lending by banks to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Lord Sassoon: The Government will be publishing a Green Paper on business finance before the Summer Recess. The paper will set out the Government's assessment of the current conditions for lending and will consider the broad range of finance options for business of different sizes including bank lending, equity and corporate debt.

British Overseas Territories

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in eradicating and managing invasive species in British overseas territories.

Lord Henley: Invasive non-native species are a major threat to biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. Defra has contributed £250,000 to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to facilitate work on invasive species and climate change in the territories during the international year of biodiversity. Most of this funding has now been given to the territories to work on these priorities. Added priority was also given to the territories during the last funding round of the Darwin Initiative.

Climate Change Act 2008

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the annual cost to the United Kingdom of meeting the requirements of the Climate Change Act 2008, in light of the estimate of £50 billion by Bob Wigley, Chairman of the Green Investment Bank Commission.

Lord Marland: The estimated annual costs contained in the Wigley report do not directly compare to the estimated costs of meeting the targets in the Climate Change Act, as set out in the impact assessment of that Act.
	While the costs in the Wigley report are investment costs, those in the Climate Change Act impact assessment are resource costs derived from the MARKAL model, which calculates emission reduction pathways that minimise costs
	This estimates the costs of the 80 per cent reduction target in 2050 and includes welfare impacts as well as energy system costs. They are relative to a counterfactual world in which investment would have taken place in other power plants and energy system related equipment.
	The Climate Change Act impact assessment estimates the total resource costs of meeting the 80 per cent target at between £14.7 billion and £18.3 billion per year. This excludes short-term transition costs, such as changes that might occur in the short or medium term as the economy adjusts to changes in energy policy. These costs are outweighed by the estimated annual benefits of the Act, which are estimated at between £20.7 billion and £46.2 billion.

Courts Service: Estates

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government which magistrates' courts and Crown Court locations will remain in the county of Somerset following planned closures and amalgamations.

Lord McNally: In Avon and Somerset there are currently magistrates' courts at Bristol, Bridgwater, Taunton, Bath, Yate, Worle, Frome, and Yeovil. There are Crown Courts at Bristol and Taunton.
	The Government are consulting on the closure of Frome and Bridgwater magistrates' courts. There are no proposals to close Crown Courts, or county courts, in Avon and Somerset.

Courts Service: Estates

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the effect on access to justice and on levels of attendance at court of residents of Frome and nearby villages up to the Wiltshire border having to travel to Yeovil to attend the magistrates' court.

Lord McNally: Frome magistrates' court is a satellite court for Yeovil magistrates' court. Following the merger of the Mendip and South Somerset local justice areas in January 2008, there have been some occasions where court users in the Mendip area have been required to attend Yeovil magistrates' court. This has been most likely to affect those cases where the defendant is in custody and the case cannot be heard at Frome either because there is not a suitable court sitting or there is insufficient capacity.
	Since the merger of the local justice areas there have been no significant adverse impacts on the attendance at court of residents from the immediate area in and around Frome. The majority of offences committed in the Frome area have continued to be dealt with at the magistrates' court in Frome.
	The proposal to close Frome magistrates' court is currently out to public consultation and an initial impact assessment has been produced. The impacts, costs and benefits of the proposed court closures will be considered more fully during the consultation phase and a full impact assessment will be produced alongside the consultation responses.

Crime: Domestic Violence

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to help violent men who want to change such behaviour in their domestic relationships.

Baroness Verma: The Home Office provides funding to the Respect phone line which is a helpline offering information and advice to people who are violent or abusive towards a partner (or ex-partner) and want help to change their behaviour.
	This includes:
	men who are abusive and/or violent towards female partners;women who are abusive and/or violent towards male partners; andmen and women who are abusive and/or violent towards a partner in same-sex relationships.
	The majority of people who call the advice line are men in heterosexual relationships. These are men who realise that they are abusive and they are looking for help to stop. Respect will talk through their options, advise on short-term strategies to manage the risk they pose to their partner/children and help them access specialist, long-term help.
	In 2009, the helpline received 1,234 calls from domestic violence perpetrators wishing to change their behaviour. One thousand, one hundred and eighty one of the callers were male.

Equality Act 2010

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will make commencement orders under the Equality Act 2010.

Baroness Verma: The provisions in the Equality Act will come into force at different times to allow time for the people and organisations affected by the new laws to prepare for them. The first wave of implementation will go ahead to the planned October timetable following the publication of the first commencement order in Parliament this week.
	This will pave the way for much-needed simplification of discrimination law and the implementation of landmark provisions to protect disabled people from discrimination and to tackle the gender pay gap.
	The Government have made clear that a key priority as we support economic recovery is to remove unnecessary burdens on business. By simplifying discrimination law, the Equality Act is an important part of our efforts to deliver on this commitment. The Government are looking at how the rest of the Act can be implemented in the best way for business and will make an announcement in due course.

Finance: Alternative Investment Market

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued on the level of risk to private investors of investment in AIM-listed shares; and how they define risk in that context.

Lord Sassoon: The Government have not issued any guidance on the level of risk to private investors in AIM-listed shares. AIM is an "exchange-regulated" market operated by the London Stock Exchange. As a recognised investment exchange, supervised by the Financial Services Authority, the London Stock Exchange is responsible for the regulation of AIM companies. There are differences in the listing requirements for "exchange-regulated" and regulated markets. For AIM companies, these include no trading record requirement or minimum market capitalisation and the UK Listing Authority will only vet an admission document where it is also a prospectus under the prospectus directive.

Finance: Clearing Houses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether financial clearing houses have access to central bank support if required.

Lord Sassoon: In the UK, access to central bank facilities is a matter for the Bank of England.

Finance: Regulation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members of the Independent Commission on Banking, the interim Office for Budget Responsibility and, once established, the Office for Budget Responsibility will be subject to the rules and guidelines of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments; and whether that will include conditions on them being re-employed by firms in the financial sector with whom they were associated or by whom they were employed.

Lord Sassoon: Appointments to the banking commission and the interim Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC) of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) fall outside the scope of the rules of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
	Sir Alan Budd, chair of the interim BRC, has advised the Chancellor on the arrangements for the permanent OBR. The Government will respond in due course.
	The Government are satisfied that there are no conflicts of interest that will prevent the commissioners of the banking commission or BRC members from carrying out their duties effectively.

Financial Services Authority

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated in his speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet on 16 June that "The FSA became a narrow regulator, almost entirely focused on rules based regulation".

Baroness Verma: Lord Turner, the chair of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), conducted a rigorous review of the causes of the financial crisis and published his findings in March 2009.
	Chapter 2 of the Turner review discussed the role of regulators. One of Lord Turner's conclusions was that the focus of FSA had been on ensuring that systems and processes were correctly defined, rather than on challenging business models and strategies of firms. Lord Turner therefore concluded that the FSA's style of regulation contributed to the build-up of system-wide risks, a conclusion which the Government endorse.

Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the location and status of the humanitarian goods intended for Gaza which were taken into Israeli ports in May; and what representations they have made on the subject.

Baroness Verma: Communication with relevant parties regarding the distribution of flotilla aid is taking place through the UN Special Representative, Robert Serry, who is keeping the international community informed of developments.
	The UN has informed us that the first consignment of medicines and humanitarian aid, including blankets and generators, is now being distributed within Gaza. We understand that the remaining materials are currently being stored in Israel and should enter Gaza in the following weeks.

Government Offices for the Regions

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have about the role and financing of government offices for the regions; and whom they plan to consult in any review of them.

Baroness Hanham: The coalition Government's programme for government published on 20 May stated: "We will abolish the Government Office for London and consider the case for abolishing the remaining Government Offices".
	We are in discussion with the departments that sponsor the Government Office Network and a statement will be made to the House in due course.

Government: Code of Practice

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their Code of Practice on Consultation has been amended since 11 May.

Baroness Wilcox: The Code of Practice on Consultation has not been amended since 11 May.

Government: Ministerial Duties

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the full range of duties to be undertaken by the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, Mr Mark Prisk.

Baroness Wilcox: The Minister of State for Business and Enterprise is responsible for:
	Business sectors, including low carbon economy, low emission vehicles and electronicsSmall business, enterprise and access to financeCompetitiveness and economic growthDeregulation and better regulationRegional and local economic development (including Grants for Business Investment)Business supportOlympic legacyExport licensing

Government: Ministerial Duties

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to appoint a trade minister with sole responsibility for the pursuit of overseas trade and inward investment.

Baroness Wilcox: Ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister.

Government: Ministerial Duties

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether as part of their plan for restoring "our economic competitiveness working with UKTI ... to use our global diplomatic network even more to support UK business in an interventionist and active manner", referred to by the Foreign Secretary in his speech on 1 July, they will appoint a minister with sole responsibility for trade.

Baroness Wilcox: Ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister.

Gypsies and Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what account they take of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in respect of Gypsies and Travellers.

Baroness Hanham: The UK's third report to the Council of Europe under this framework convention, prepared by the previous Government, was submitted to the Council of Europe in March 2010. The Government will consider with interest the Council's observations and recommendations on the content of that report, including the material it contains on Gypsies and Travellers. The Government will respond to those observations and recommendations in due course.

Housing

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers local authorities have to deal with housing developments that have been abandoned when part-built by companies that have become insolvent and which have become detrimental to local amenity and safety; and what advice they give in such cases.

Baroness Hanham: Where a building is assessed as posing a risk to safety by reason of its state, Sections 77 and 78 of the Building Act 1984 give local authorities powers to execute such work as may be necessary to remove the danger or, alternatively, to demolish the building. If a building is assessed as sufficiently ruinous or dilapidated as to be seriously detrimental to the amenities of the neighbourhood, local authorities are given similar powers by Section 79 of the Act. In these cases, local authorities are entitled to make a claim for expense incurred from the building owner or, where the owner is insolvent, as a priority creditor or by registering a land charge.
	Local authorities have discretionary powers under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to make good the loss of public amenity in certain circumstances. Best practice guidance on the use of these powers can be found at: http://www. communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/townplanningact.
	They also have powers to acquire land, either by agreement or compulsion, to fulfil any of their functions. These include powers to acquire land for housing purposes and for development, redevelopment and improvement. Local authorities must be able to demonstrate that there is a compelling case in the public interest for them to acquire land by compulsion and that there are no financial or planning impediments to their scheme going ahead.
	Local authority advice in such cases would depend on the particular circumstances of the case.

Housing Benefit

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of tenants of private landlords are estimated to be in receipt of Local Housing Allowance; and whether they intend to make all tenants eligible to receive it.

Lord Freud: The Department for Work and Pensions has been carrying out a review of the local housing allowance (LHA) scheme over a two-year period from the commencement of its roll-out in April 2008. The aim of the review is to monitor the impact of the LHA at a national level, against the original LHA policy objectives set out by the previous Government. The findings will be published later this year.

Housing: HomeBuy Direct

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue the HomeBuy Direct scheme.

Baroness Hanham: This Government have committed to support those who aspire to own their own home. We are reviewing the low cost home ownership (HomeBuy) programme as a whole in the context of the comprehensive spending review.
	More broadly, this Government are seeking to return economic stability which will improve the situation for first time buyers.

Housing: Mortgage Support Scheme

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were assisted by the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme; and what plans they have for it and for its funding.

Baroness Hanham: It was announced on 14 June 2010 that since the launch of the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme in April 2009, 34 households had been accepted onto the scheme to the end of April 2010. The previous Government's target was to help 15,500 a year over the next two years. (DCLG Impact Assessment of Homeowners Mortgage Support, 21 April 2009, p.10).
	The Minister for Housing is currently taking a fresh look at the scheme to ensure it offers the best possible help for struggling homeowners and value for money for the taxpayer. An announcement on the future of the scheme is expected shortly.

Independent Commission on Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the provisional budget for the Independent Commission on Banking; and what types of expenditure are covered by that budget.

Lord Sassoon: The commission will have its own secretariat and such resources as are necessary to complete its task.

Independent Commission on Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Independent Commission on Banking to produce an interim report to guide their thinking ahead of discussions on banking and regulation at the G20 summit in Seoul in November.

Lord Sassoon: It will be at the commissioners' discretion to determine whether the commission will produce interim reports before the agreed deadline of September 2011.

Internet: Broadband

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to pay compensation in response to claims made by co-operatives, housing associations, charities, communities and other organisations that have funded reports by and contracted services, advice and consultancy from Community Broadband Network Ltd and Independent Networks Cooperative Association Ltd.

Baroness Wilcox: No.

Israel and Palestine: Quartet

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was their contribution to the costs of the Middle East Quartet in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08, (d) 2008-09, and (e) 2009-10.

Lord Howell of Guildford: UK support to Quartet Special Envoy James Wolfensohn began in 2005. We provided £70,000 to fund an aid management specialist. A further £28,000 for that position was provided in 2006. In addition, the Department for International Development (DfID) seconded a member of its own staff to the team from June 2005 to early 2006.
	Since 2007 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has seconded one higher executive officer equivalent (HEO); one Grade 7 equivalent who retired in August 2009; and one senior civil servant (this position was regraded to G6 in April 2010) to work in the Office of the Quartet Representative (OQR).
	
		
			 FCO PAY SCALES 
			 HEO Minimum Maximum 
			 2010/11 26,102 32,509 
			 2009/10 24,644 31,778 
			 2008/09 23,157 31,495 
			 2007/08 21,759 31,290 
		
	
	
		
			 Grade 7 
			 2010/11 43,084 55,782 
			 2009/10 41,106 54,789 
			 2008/09 38,852 53,783 
			 2007/08 37,069 52,786 
		
	
	
		
			 Grade 6   
			 2010/11 54,340 67,861 
		
	
	
		
			 Senior Civil Servant Minimum Maximum 
			 2010/11 58,200 117,750 
			 2009/10 58,200 117,750 
			 2008/09 57,300 116,000 
			 2007/08 56,100 116,000 
		
	
	The DfID secondment to the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem started in September 2007 to provide expert governance analysis (Grade 7). The secondee became Deputy Head of the OQR (Grade 6) in July 2009, leading on delivery against the OQR's key objectives through effective management of the team in the Jerusalem office, as well as continuing to provide expert governance analysis.
	
		
			 DfID PAY SCALE   
			 2007/08 £41,900 £51,424 (Grade 7) 
			 2008/09 £55,505 £65,294 (Grade 6) 
			 2009/10 £55,505 £65,294 (Grade 6) 
		
	
	In 2007 the Department for International Development (DfID) made a £400,000 contribution to the UN development trust fund to support the setting up of the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem. This fund is administered by the United Nations Development Programme and its aim is to provide operational and logistical support to the representative (quartet) mission team and staff based in Jerusalem, so as to enable the effective and quick implementation of the quartet objectives.
	We welcome the efforts of the quartet and the Quartet Representative-Tony Blair-and would particularly highlight recent efforts to help ease the border restrictions in Gaza. A great deal of progress has also been made on economic development in the West Bank, which shows that it is possible to have a functioning state, and which is a very important component of driving forward the Middle East peace process.

National Saving Gateway Scheme

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue the Saving Gateway scheme; and, if so, whether credit unions will continue to offer Saving Gateway accounts.

Lord Sassoon: The Government believe that the Saving Gateway is unaffordable, given the need to reduce Britain's unprecedented budget deficit. The Budget therefore announced that the Saving Gateway would not be introduced in July 2010, as had been planned. The Government have no plans to introduce the Saving Gateway.

NHS: Medical Training

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the training of doctors in the care of dying; and what proportion of training is dedicated to that.

Earl Howe: The General Medical Council (GMC), as the competent authority for medical training in the United Kingdom, is the custodian of quality standards in medical education and practice, and consequently is responsible for ensuring that doctors are equipped to deal with the problems that they will encounter in practice, including care of the dying. The GMC is an independent professional body.
	The GMC's undergraduate, postgraduate and continued practice boards have the general function of promoting high standards of medical education, and co-ordinating all stages of medical education, to ensure that students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
	The GMC has statutory responsibility to determine the extent of knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical qualifications in the UK. Their recommendations on undergraduate medical education are contained in Tomorrow's Doctors (updated version published, September 2009) which;
	provides the framework that UK medical schools use to design detailed curricula and schemes of assessment; andsets out the standards that the GMC uses to judge the quality of undergraduate teaching and assessments at individual medical schools.
	It is the responsibility of the medical schools to ensure that specialist teaching meets the standards set out in Tomorrow's Doctors in order to retain GMC recognition of their course.
	Postgraduate medical training curricula are developed by the medical Royal Colleges and submitted to the GMC for approval.

NHS: Partnerships

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of partnerships between hospitals and other parts of the National Health Service and similar services in developing countries.

Baroness Verma: On 3 June 2010 the Prime Minister announced our intention to establish a new health systems partnership fund to encourage broader and stronger links between the NHS and other UK institutions and developing countries' health systems. The Department for International Development (DfID) is currently working on detailed proposals for this partnership scheme.

Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2010

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the preamble to the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2040) prevents them from applying for a derogation from any new European Union rules relating to the Habitats Directive or the Wild Birds Directive.

Lord Henley: The Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/491) amend The Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1842) that transpose the habitats and wild birds directives into domestic law. The preamble provides that where the amended domestic regulations refer to an annex in either directive, this should be construed as a reference to the annexes of those directives whenever amended.
	Any specific exemption from the provisions of the directives, or any annexes to those directives, would need to be specifically permitted in the directives. The preamble of the regulations does not restrict the ability of the United Kingdom to pursue an exemption in any negotiations on amendments to the directives. In the event that either directive were amended to permit a derogation from one of the annexes, and the Government wished to avail themselves of that derogation, the regulations would need to be revised to reflect this.

Quangos

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government for which central Government quangos they have announced their intention to reduce the level of funding; and how much will be saved in each case.

Lord Sassoon: On 24 May 2010 the Government announced plans to cut £6.2 billion of government spending in 2010-11. Six hundred million pounds of this will come from cutting the cost of quangos. As part of this departments have announced the following reductions to quango funding:
	At least £80 million from Department for Education quangos including the abolition of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency;A £108 million reduction in grants to Transport for London;A £50 million reduction in the running costs of CLG and its quangos and a £17 million reduction in the running costs of regional development agencies;£144 million in quango efficiency savings from BIS's partner organisations and the higher education budget;£82 million from the Home Office by reducing the budgets of the National Policing Improvement Agency, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Identity and Passport Service, Government Equalities Office and Government Office for London;£20 million from efficiencies across DECC's delivery bodies;£27 million savings from the Olympic Delivery Authority and £61 million from reductions in other DCMS quangos; andA £0.5 million saving on the running costs of UK Financial Investments Ltd, which are borne by HM Treasury.
	The Government are committed to reducing both the number and cost of public bodies to increase accountability and reduce costs. The Cabinet Office is leading on a review of all public bodies and the outcome of this assessment will be published in the autumn.

Saudi Arabia

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the suspension of the investigation into the arms deal signed with Saudi Arabia in 1985; and whether they will take action against Saudi princes who were alleged to be involved.

Lord Howell of Guildford: In July 2008 the House of Lords ruled that the decision of the Serious Fraud Office to discontinue its investigation into alleged bribery and corruption surrounding the contract to supply tornados to the Government of Saudi Arabia was lawful. The Government respect that decision. Any further action is a matter for the Serious Fraud Office.

Sport: Motorsport

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they propose to promote the green initiatives under development in the aerospace and motorsport sectors.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government continue to work closely with the aerospace sector in promoting a range of green initiatives. For example, we are investing in the development of new more environmentally friendly aircraft such as the Airbus A350 XWB and the Bombardier CSeries; supporting collaborative research and technology on more environmentally friendly advanced airframes, engines and equipment; and playing an active role in discussions under way internationally to set new environmental standards. In addition, we are working closely with the lead trade association (ADS) to promote the sustainable aviation agenda as part of a range of issues aimed at ensuring the future success of the UK aerospace sector.
	The low carbon vehicle innovation platform of the Technology Strategy Board is open to motorsport companies to apply. Already a number of motorsport companies have successfully applied to competitions under this platform, including the ultra low carbon vehicle demonstrator competition. In addition, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is looking to support the fifth European Cleaner Racing Conference and to help UK companies meet with international visitors to Autosport International in Birmingham.

Sport: Motorsport

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will work with the motorsport sector to exploit the export potential of products and services with a high technological content.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action UK Trade & Investment proposes to promote the export of expertise and products related to motorsport.

Baroness Wilcox: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will continue to work with the motorsport sector to exploit the export potential of products and services with a high technological content. UKTI's national sector team, working with the network of commercial staff overseas, identifies global opportunities and facilitates matchmaking with UK supplier capability through a number of means, including support for groups visiting key overseas markets, participation in motorsport trade fairs and participation in conferences and seminars. Additionally, UKTI promotes the sector to an international audience at appropriate events in the UK and uses the sector to promote the wider advanced engineering sector globally.
	In 2010-11, UKTI will support groups attending a number of overseas motorsport trade shows including MotorSport ExpoTech in Modena, Professional MotorSport World in Cologne, the International Motorsports Industry Show in Indianapolis, and the Performance Racing Industry show in Orlando. In addition, they are looking to support the fifth European Cleaner Racing Conference and to help UK companies meet with international visitors to Autosport International in Birmingham. This is in addition to initiatives already supported in the USA this year. They will shortly be considering possible support for next year with industry representatives.

Taxation: Income Tax

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following their decision to increase the personal income tax allowance for those under 65 but not the allowances for those aged over 65 or 75, they intend to phase out the differentials entirely.

Lord Sassoon: This Government will announce the amount of the personal allowances for those aged 65 and over for 2011-12 in the autumn, when September's inflation figures are known.